The severe health conditions associated with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection remain a global concern. Various antiviral protease and polymerase inhibitors demonstrated significant anti-HCV efficacy against the different Geno types but associated with serious adverse effects and excessive cost along with significant relapse. Therefore, there is an urgent need for targeted antiviral agents for the treatment of HCV infection along viral entry inhibitors.
It is estimated that over 300 million people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide. Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region have the highest documented infection rates, and Egypt has the highest infection rate for a single country in the world. In the United States, an estimated 4.1 million people are infected with HCV, representing approximately 1.8% of the population). Of these 4.1 million HCV-infected individuals, approximately 3.2 million have chronic Hepatitis C infection, and can therefore potentially spread HCV to others. Because of the low survival rate (˜50%) of individuals with Hepatitis C and the high cost of treatment, Hepatitis C continues to be one of the most dangerous diseases in the world. It is therefore imperative to develop a novel, safe and effective formulation for the treatment of HCV infection that can quickly move into the clinical trials in comparison to the standard of care.